Badeken, Bedeken, Badekenish, or Bedekung (Yiddish: באַדעקן badekn, lit. covering), is the ceremony where the groom veils the bride in a Jewish wedding.
Just prior the actual wedding ceremony, which takes place under the Chuppah, the bridegroom, accompanied by his parents, the Rabbi, and other dignitaries, and amidst joyous singing of his friends, covers the bride's face with a veil. At this point it is traditional for the Rabbi to give a blessing to the couple. The bride wears this veil until the conclusion of the chuppah ceremony.[1]
The custom of a virgin bride wearing a veil is mentioned in the Talmud.[2]
The veiling itself is a symbol of modesty, based upon the verse in connection with Rebecca's meeting Isaac, "[T]hen she took her veil and covered herself."[3] The practice of the groom uncovering the veil is based upon the story of where Jacob married Leah because her face was veiled, when he wanted to marry Rachel.[4]
Some opinions maintain that the Badeken ceremony is the meaning of the term Chuppah (Hebrew for "covering") mentioned in the Talmud and thus has legal ramifications.[5]